Want a hot tub without the standard hot tub expense? This Part 3 guide shares our simple setup for plug and play hot tubs! Also included are helpful tips on adding chemicals, how hot to adjust the water, our favorite hot tub accessories and more! We hope you gain some insightful tips if you’ve been curious about getting an inflatable hot tub!

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Today’s the day where I am finally sharing the official setup of our inflatable plug and play hot tub! And boy are we ever having FUN with this great addition!

Plug and play hot tubs – helpful setup tips with must-get accessories

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Read the entire plug and play Hot Tubs series:

 

Inflatable hot tub: Choosing, unboxing and inflating – Part 1

Building an easy inflatable hot tub wood deck – Part 2

Plug and play hot tub installation, accessories, chemicals and rain protection – Part 3 – you are HERE!

Visit the entire hot tub series to-date HERE

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Doesn’t our new and improved outdoor living space look just as neat as a pin?! An inflatable hot tub complete with the perfect size deck really allowed us to have all the perks of owning our own hot tub at a fraction of the cost of a traditional hot tub. And we are thoroughly enjoying it!

About our tub

 

Plug and play hot tubs have a vast selection to choose from! Here’s why we chose ours:

We chose THIS 6-person Mspa round inflatable plug and play hot tub for several reasons:

• Plug n play means no need for an electrician! Use a regular outlet.
• Easy to move if desired making this a portable hot tub.
• The 6-person is the perfect sizing for 2 adults
• Dimensions are 80″ round
• Pump is embedded in the tub walls for a quieter experience and more streamlined look
• Comes with a zip cover and locking keypad
• Inflates in 30 seconds!
• Loved the deep grey color and lighter interior

Additional features:

 

• Inflatable hot tubs have bubbles instead of jets that still massage to some degree
• Heater changes water temperature fairly quickly!
• While there is no lounge seat, the bottom is lined with a memory foam, and the water creates enough buoyancy to be comfortable

We go over all the rest of the features in Part 1 HERE.

So this round, this post will cover how we set up the hot tub, adding the hot tub chemicals, must-get accessories, and rain protection, including a short video that shares the hub live, turning on the bubbles, then covering it again for the night.

Let’s go!

Where to place plug and play hot tubs

 

Where you place plug and play hot tubs will be entirely dependent on your yard configuration, how easily you wish to access it, and what kind of view you want! Here’s what we did with ours…

When you exit our 2nd floor story patio, then travel down the steps onto the sidewalk, you’ll walk right into the hot tub.

We decided to position the tub half on and half off the sidewalk so the house could weather-protect the location, the tub is easier to access from the sidewalk and this positioning offered more privacy. It also happens to offer the best view too!

The tub is also currently sitting on a white 8′ x 10′ heavyweight tarp, which eventually will get changed out to some kind of hot tub pad for more efficient insulation, and so we can see more of the deck! I may cut it back as a trial.

However the deck on which it sits is a total gamechanger! It was an easy build that cost about $300 Canadian. This deck project was built by my son and I in about 4 hours from start to finish.

Visit Part 2 to see how we built the hot tub deck without cutting any wood!

View other hot tub pad choices HERE

 

Must-have hot tub accessories:

 

And of course, with inflatable hot tubs come the hot tub toys!

To hang towels, hooks attached to an old gate leaning against the house works perfectly and is simple to do.

We also added some solar lawn lights at the corners of the tub deck which looks very pretty at night! Our chosen solar lights (find them HERE) resemble tiki torches that cast an orange flickering glow like a real flame!

In addition to adding chemicals, we also use a hot tub chlorine floater. This helps keep quickly deteriorating chlorine in check.

Make your own DIY towel hooks from THESE ideas

Check out some hot tub hook options on Amazon HERE

Other helpful spa accessories:

 

• A small hand-held net for scooping out debris.
• Illuminated balls to float in the water.
• Larger sized pool noodles to float on.
• String lights to create nighttime ambiance.
• Pool-sized towels.
• Terry cloth robes for spa or pool use.
• An inflatable swim ring layered with a beach ball to help elevate the cover’s center for rain run-off. I’m debating on this inflatable hot tub lid for this very reason.
• An additional tarp or hot tub cover to cover the entire tub during hot weather.

DIY a handy beverage shelf:

 

One added feature that really helped was the the simple shelf behind the tub that runs along the wall. It’s within easy grasp for beverages instead of using more traditional cup holders.

The shelf was a very simple build and easy to add.

How to build a simple hot tub shelf:

 

1. Cut 4 treated 2×4 pieces to the desired height.
2. Attach the 2x4s to the base of the deck with deck screws.
3. For a top shelf, attach 1 8′ treated 1.5 x 5 deck board.
4. Embellish with more supports or to add more design. (coming soon!)

I’m still deciding how to further embellish the shelf, with perhaps cross beams or adding more to surround the tub. We are taking our time to try things out as-is, then plan to enhance from there.

Keep your tub spotless with a foot bath

 

One must-get accessory for any hot tub is a foot bath of some sort. Walking through the foot bath absolutely helps to keep the hot tub water cleaner for much longer! 

The water is changed everytime we use it so it’s always clean and ready to use.

View different foot baths for hot tub entry HERE

How long does it take to fill up or drain?

 

Filling up this size of an inflatable plug and play hot tub is quick! So if you ever have to change out the water, you won’t lose much spa time.

It took overnight to drain it, and filling up with a garden hose only takes about 1.5 hours. Heating the water to 97 degrees took 24 hours.

Regarding how hot to have the water, I would say adjust the temperature to when you would use it most!

How hot should you have the water?

 

The temperature of the water for inflatable hot tubs will be dependent on when you like to use it, how long you like to stay in it and what your own preferences are. Here’s what we tend to do:

Favorite evening temperature

 

• 97 degrees in the PM

We find we like to use the tub in the evenings after it gets dark so we can stare at the stars. It’s just such a nice relaxing way to end the day! So therefore, we tend to like the hot tub at about 97 degrees. 

We have tried it hotter, however I find our time spent in the tub is shortened because we just feel like we’ve had enough. However if you are dealing with arthritis, sore joints or muscles, a little hotter water can help! I do find the hotter the water, the more tired I am afterwards too, which offers a better sleep.

Comfortable daytime temperature

 

• 86 degrees during the day

When using the hot tub during a warm summer day, a really comfortable yet still refreshing temperature appears to be about 86 degrees. It feels like a comfortable heated pool. And if you are travelling through a heat wave, you’ll find that temperature ‘refreshing’. 

So as you can see, our temperature choices greatly vary. It makes me wish we had two hot tubs some days! However, since we BOTH love to use it in the evenings most, we are choosing the higher temperature to win for now. But if my son chooses not to use it for a spell, I turn it down for summer daytime use for me.

Best position for the tub

 

There will be times when you’ll want to increase or decrease the inflation of the tub. So before you fill the tub with water, I’d suggest to make sure you have full access to the controls without having to work too hard at it.

I also love that the instructions to inflate / deflate are written on the outside of our tub! Can’t lose that info.

You’ll also require a tube extender to drain the tub if the drain is positioned towards your house like ours is.

The electrical hot tub cord is also not all that long, so you’ll need to position the tub according to your electrical outlet, as extension cords are not generally suggested. Our cord is plugged inside the garage so electrical connections are guaranteed to stay dry for extra security.

How to add spa chemicals

 

Adding hot tub chemicals in plug and play hot tubs may seem a little daunting when you are new to this. And in all honesty, it’s what held me back the longest. However I guarantee you, if you follow how we did it, this is the easiest way!

Get your water tested

 

1. Get your water professionally tested.

A local spa place near me tests spa or pool water for free!

So once you fill your tub with fresh water, you bring a water sample into the hot tub place, in which they will test the water, and give you a print out on what you need to add to your water. It’s just like following a recipe without guess work!

2. Purchase what you need to add to your tub.

You can get hot tub chemicals nearly anywhere, however I like to get them right at the hot tub store so I know everything will be properly balanced.

However once you kind of know what you’re doing, you can shop for some spa supplies elsewhere once you know what to get.

I’ve been using these Spa brand chemicals, and here’s what I was instructed to do with our water and the size of our 6-person spa:

Adding spa chemicals to start:

 

• Purchase Spa Balance for alkaline, Spa 100 for chlorine, and Spa Control for water hardness.
• Add ¾ cup Balance, then run the bubbles for 15 minutes.
• Add 1 TBSP chlorine, then run bubbles for 15 minutes.
• Add ¾ cup Control to adjust water hardness, then run bubbles for 15 minutes.

View various spa chemicals for plug and play hot tubs HERE

Chemical maintenance:

 

• Always add one chemical at a time. Never all together.
• Wait 15 minutes in between each addition.
• Test the water each morning with a test strip. 
• Add ½-1 tablespoon of chlorine after each use.
• Get water professionally tested once a month.
• If water turns colour or smells, drain water, clean the filter, and start over.

The most important part is maintaining the chlorine, which seems to help level out everything else.

Buf if things go wrong, it’s really not that big of a deal to drain the tub and start over again. You’ll lose about 24 hours of tub time for a water change. We’ve ran into this once and I do feel it’s because I got lazy adding chlorine.

 

How to recover the hot tub by yourself

 

The key to getting the cover back on again is of course to keep the water clean! So here’s what I like to do with the cover:

1. Drape the cover over an outdoor table, then hose down both sides.
2. Fold the cover in half like a taco with the inside facing out.
3. Carry the cover to the hot tub, and position the zipper starting areas together. Attach the zipper, then slowly unfold the cover as it’s zipped up.
4. Use the padlock to lock up the cover for added security.

How to protect a plug and play hot tub from rain

 

As you’ve probably noticed, a hot tub cover will concave, collecting rainwater which is NOT what you want. This makes the zippable cover very heavy, pushing down onto the tub, making the removal of rain water difficult unless it runs all back into the tub again along with surface dirt. Not ideal.

In a perfect world, we would have a small roofline that covers the hot tub for sun and rain protection. However that will take more funds and know-how.

A hot tub inflatable bladder appears to be a popular choice to elevate the cover from inside. You inflate the bladder, place it on the water, then zip the cover up. The bladders promise to help hold in the heat more efficiently too. But I still think without a roof of some kind, rain water could likely still collect on top.

So without spending a dime more, here’s our quick and easy fix for the time being…

1. After zipping up the cover, place an inflated beach ball inside an inflated donut swimming ring, and position them in the middle of the hot tub cover.

This also works by placing the inflatables right on the water, then zipping the cover up, but I prefer having them on the outside because the cover still sags around the inflatables.

2. Cover the entire hot tub area with a large tarp that reaches the ground from all sides.

I purchased a large white tarp similar to THIS, larger than needed, then cut it down to size.

3. Attach the cover in some way so the wind doesn’t blow it off. 

The tarp is wrapped under two stool legs that are positioned on both sides of the tub against the house. Not only do the stool legs help to hold the tarp in place, the tarp also protects the stools this way too!

Then I scrunch up the rest so the tarp doesn’t burn the lawn.

I know, I know. It’s not gorgeous! But I have to believe the tarp not only protects the tub from pooling rain water, it’s better for the tub keeping the direct sunshine off of it as well. I used a white tarp for the least amount of heat attraction. 

My Plan B is to build more of a rail around the tub, then attach two removable roof panels on top on an angle to protect the tub. But at that rate I nearly have a full fledged roofline that just needs elevating.

Whatever is ultimately used, I’ll be sure to post what I end up doing!

 

Here’s how elevated the center of the hot tub is, thanks to the beach ball and inner tube.

There is a little pooling when the tarp relaxes, but it’s a relatively easy fix by simply dragging the tarp off the tub right along with any slightly pooling water.

Video – see the hot tub working live

 

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Visit the short video above to see how the bubbles work, how to clean and check chemicals, then covering it up for night!

So from an unused area to our backyard…

To now having our very own little oasis, this inflatable tub has created a great back yard addition much like having a mini vacation right at home! It offers comfort, and a fun place for us or a guest or two to enjoy! And that affordability is hard to beat.

And you can bet by the time I was done taking these pictures, I was in my own private spa in a flash!

I mean, how can one resist?

Visit the entire hot tub series to-date HERE

See how the stools were painted with retro star patterns HERE

Check out other fun and unique outdoor projects for your yard HERE